USCCB, Other Catholic Groups Urge Court to Protect Faith-Based Foster Care

USCCB, Other Catholic Groups Urge Court to Protect Faith-Based Foster Care

Sharonell Fulton, a foster parent in Philadelphia, is pictured with a young woman and children in a May 23, 2018 photo. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other Catholic entities have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to protect Philadelphia’s faith-based foster care in a decision expected this June. The…

Symposium: LGBT rights and religious freedom—finding a better way

Alexander Dushku and Shawn Gunnarson are shareholders at Kirton McConkie, where they represent an array of religious institutions on various matters. They were counsel of record on amicus briefs on behalf of religious organizations and religious colleges and universities in support of the employers in Bostock v. Clayton County and…

Lawsuit Charges Illinois With Violating Religious-liberty Rights

Lawsuit Charges Illinois With Violating Religious-liberty Rights

A lawsuit filed last week by the Thomas Moore Society, a non-profit public interest law firm, charged that the state of Illinois is violating its own laws by requiring all insurance policies offered for sale in the state to pay for abortion services. There is no exemption allowed even by…

ADF International CEO Reflects on Religious Freedom in Europe Today

ADF International CEO Reflects on Religious Freedom in Europe Today

Executive Director Paul Coleman oversees the advocacy and operations of the global alliance-building legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom International. (ADF International) ‘We see more cases year on year, and this is, in part, because Christians are becoming more aware of what’s happening.’ One of the major challenges all governments face…

GOVERNMENT Unclear message regarding religion

GOVERNMENT Unclear message regarding religion

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” — the First Amendment to…

Delaware Governor to Back Off Religious Worship Restrictions

Delaware Governor to Back Off Religious Worship Restrictions

Gov. John Carney gives a briefing. Democratic Gov. John Carney plans to back off restrictions he imposed on church worship to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, state attorneys told a federal judge Tuesday. Carney planned to issue new guidance regarding communities of worship either later Tuesday or Wednesday that…

COVID-19 v. the Constitution: The Conflict Continues

COVID-19 v. the Constitution: The Conflict Continues

The extraordinary measures designed to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to cause constitutional clashes. My last post ’s opening hypothetical about members of a congregation being ticketed for attending church services has now become a reality, and the Supreme Court has given its first hint on how it…

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Pandemic Restriction on Church Services

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Pandemic Restriction on Church Services

The Story: The Supreme Court recently rejected a challenge to a California pandemic policy restricting occupancy in churches to 25 percent of building capacity or no more than 100 attendees. The Background: South Bay United Pentecostal Church and their senior pastor, Bishop Arthur Hodges III, sought an injunction to prevent…

Delaware governor to back off religious worship restrictions

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Democratic Gov. John Carney plans to back off restrictions he imposed on church worship to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, state attorneys told a federal judge Tuesday. Carney planned to issue new guidance regarding communities of worship either later Tuesday or Wednesday that could narrow,…

Delaware governor to back off religious worship restrictions

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Democratic Gov. John Carney plans to back off restrictions he imposed on church worship to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, state attorneys told a federal judge Tuesday. Carney planned to issue new guidance regarding communities of worship either later Tuesday or Wednesday that could narrow,…

Delaware governor to back off religious worship restrictions

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Democratic Gov. John Carney plans to back off restrictions he imposed on church worship to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, state attorneys told a federal judge Tuesday. Carney planned to issue new guidance regarding communities of worship either later Tuesday or Wednesday that could narrow,…

Carney to back off Delaware religious worship restrictions

DOVER, Del. — Democratic Gov. John Carney plans to back off restrictions he imposed on church worship to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, state attorneys told a federal judge Tuesday. Carney planned to issue new guidance regarding communities of worship either later Tuesday or Wednesday that could narrow, or…

Supreme Court weighs California’s limits on church crowds during pandemic

Supreme Court weighs California’s limits on church crowds during pandemic

The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington.(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington. WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is set to decide on a religious freedom claim from a south San Diego County church that wants an exemption from California’s COVID-19 rules, which limit large…

The First Amendment Requires Courts To Stay Out Of Church Disputes

The First Amendment Requires Courts To Stay Out Of Church Disputes

Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru , a case in which the Ninth Circuit dramatically reduced the scope of the so-called ministerial exception, which precludes the government from meddling with the church-minister relationship. The oral argument revealed a sharply divided…

Judge finds Oregon governor’s coronavirus restrictions on religious gatherings ‘null and void.’ Governor to seek state Supreme Court review

A Baker County judge on Monday ruled that Gov. Kate Brown’s restrictions on religious gatherings were “null and void” because her emergency order amid the coronavirus pandemic had exceeded its 28-day limit. Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff granted 10 churches that had sued the governor a preliminary injunction, finding they had…

Attorney General files motion to dismiss lawsuit against governor

Attorney General files motion to dismiss lawsuit against governor

In this June 12, 2017 file photo, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh speaks during a news conference in Washington. BALTIMORE — The attorney general of the State of Maryland filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed May 2 against Gov. Larry Hogan and several other state officials alleging a…